BURKINA FASO

Burkina Faso has demonstrated a high level of political commitment to scaling up care and treatment for HIV and AIDS. Four consecutive short-and medium-term HIV and AIDS plans were developed and implemented.

BURKINA FASO COORDINATION

The coordinating team in Burkina Faso works to organize, gather and provide technical support to the Fada N’Gourma’s church activities in the recovery of families from HIV and AIDS effects.

Regional programs implement the services and this team provides funds and assistance to make it all happen. They all work together to ensure good programming, coordination, and evaluation for all activities in the fight against HIV and AIDS at the national level, provide adequate training and logistical support to the regional committees so they can effectively manage and communicate at all levels.

In Ouagadougou, the HOPE for AIDS team focus on Prevention efforts and HIV education through media. In both the French and Gourma language, volunteers have produced booklets and pamphlets clearly communicating safe ways to prevent new infections. In 3 local languages, they air regular radio shows hosting conversation about HIV topics as well as stream locally produced dramas also in Gourma.

In the Piela and Mahadaga communities of Burkina Faso, the HOPE for AIDS team is working to provide free confidential and voluntary testing in established medical centers. Along with testing, the trained volunteers provide pre and post test counseling to individuals looking for more information on how to prevent HIV and how to stay healthy while living with HIV. Medical care is offered as well as pastoral care from the local church. This program covers the cost of medicines to treat opportunistic diseases in up to 40 HIV positive clients per year in each rural medical center. A third counseling and testing center is under construction in the town of Fada N’Gourma.

Teenagers make up a great deal of the population in the churches of Eastern Burkina Faso. The generational gap that exists between the parents and youth is great and has resulted in a lack of mentorship. Many have received little information about HIV and AIDS so teaching is a necessity to encourage focused efforts toward prevention. This program provides for training in Fada N’ Gourma in the following areas: HIV and AIDS, discrimination, becoming agents of change, marriage and mentorship. Trainers from Mahadaga, Logobou, Boagidigou, Diapaga, Botou and Gayeri all travel to Fada N’Gourma for classes. At the end of each workshop, participants are given the resources to train in their own communities.

HOPE for AIDS in Burkina has partnered with local families from the 18 EE/SIM church regions trained in pastoral care of those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. There are approximately 300 students in the 3 EE/SIM Bible Schools who will receive this training every two years. In addition, teaching modules are available in French, Fulfulde and Gourma in a 20 page summary booklet.

Two couples from each of the 19 EE/SIM church regions have been trained in the first level of marriage and family counseling by a team of couples from Family Life Movement Burkina Faso. The training of other couples in the churches has taken place in 9 regions and will continue in the 10 remaining regions. The trainers will receive two more levels of training and subsequently train the same couples who received the first level in their respective regions.